Indonesia’s parliament on Thursday shelved a plan to change the country’s electoral rules after thousands protested against the measure and clashed with police.
Protesters gathered outside the parliament in Jakarta, prompting lawmakers to postpone the session. Students and office workers joined the crowd as authorities tried to quell the protest with water cannon and deployed police in riot gear.
Protesters set tires on fire and threw firecrackers while chanting slogans against outgoing President Joko Widodo. As the demonstrations turned violent, a group of protesters attempted to storm parliament but were repelled by security forces.
Critics said the planned changes to electoral rules were a move to help Widodo build a political dynasty.
Accusations of nepotism
The Indonesian parliament is dominated by supporters of the outgoing President Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto. The changes to the electoral law planned by the parliament would have affected the eligibility of one of Subian’s competitors and of Widodo’s own son.
Parliament wanted to reverse the changes to the electoral law made by the Constitutional Court. This gave government critic Anies Baswedan the chance to run for the influential post of governor of Jakarta.
Lawmakers also gave Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, the opportunity to run in the Central Java elections in November this year by amending electoral rules to allow the 29-year-old to run despite the minimum age of 30.
All this happened months after Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, was elected as Indonesia’s youngest vice president. The emergence of both sons in Indonesian politics has fueled accusations of nepotism.
Widodo continues to enjoy popular support given the country’s economic development during his term in office. He has sought to downplay the conflict, describing it on Wednesday as part of the government’s usual “checks and balances.”
Changes to the electoral law postponed
“It has been officially decided that the revision of the regional electoral law cannot proceed. This means that the revision has been cancelled today,” Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters.
Ahmad told Reuters that discussions on the electoral law would be postponed until the new parliament, meaning there will be no changes for this year’s regional elections, which are scheduled for November.
Jokowi’s office responded to the unrest by saying the government hopes “there will be no disinformation or slander that could trigger chaos and violence,” palace spokesman Hasan Nasbi told reporters.
“This is a republic. It is a democracy, but if its leadership is determined by one person or an oligarchy, we cannot accept that,” 29-year-old teacher Afif Sidik told Reuters.
jcg/ab (AFP, AP, Reuters)
